E-commerce business- 10 things you should keep in mind.

So, last week a great idea hit you and you are feeling butterflies in your stomach because you’ve decided to be an entrepreneur and want to start your own E-commerce business. Great! That would be awesome if you are seriously considering it but let me clarify a few things first. Being an entrepreneur is never an easy task. You’re going to face a hell lot of bizarre conditions and people more than you did in your whole life. You’ll be detached from your friends for a while and there is no place for procrastination or leisure. It may take way longer period to produce apparent profits than you might’ve expected. Well, all said and done, what’s next?

So here I give you a checklist to keep in mind (or notes maybe) you’ve tick before you go for the full-fledged launch of your e-commerce business.

A partner- You may go for one man army if you wish to but that will definitely be a tougher option. Also, a partner, if he is not from the same field as yours, brings more ideas to the venture. So before choosing anyone to get intervened in your business, proper evaluation is a must. A partner can make your business with you, or destroy it single-handedly.

Business Identity- You’re ready to go but what about your business. Is it ready without any identity? Nope. Get your businesses registered and in the case, if you have a partner (or partners), get done with your partnership agreement as well. If not done properly, these are the things those prickles a lot later. It is not expensive and you may get required papers easily; for partnership agreement formats if you ask, you may get from the internet. Ask Google Baba, he’ll always help you!

Get your business card made, not matter what you want to write on it (CEO or WTF, doesn’t matter) it must be attractive, classy and should align with the spirit of your business.

Website- For an e-commerce business website is one of the most crucial factors. That website is your store, your face. When a consumer enters into your territory, the website is the first thing that one sees. It must be minimalistic, beautiful yet user-friendly. Using too many vibrant colors or a pitch dark theme is definitely not going to work. Your SEO must be strong, once you get traffic on your website, half work is done (of course you have to have good product quality otherwise having a good website is not going to attract consumer forever). Get a techie friend onboard, they’ll do it for free or you may simply opt for a web developer, they know their job very well.

Back-end system- Sort out your operations. Some common platforms offer services for free, for example, Magneto. Again call your techie friend and convince them to make a robust system for you. These websites are extremely useful, you can’t only great backup but also get a lot more visibility in Cyber Ocean.

Delivery systems- An e-commerce business as successful as its delivery system works. Be in constant connection with your delivery partners, keep them on toes; no customer wants to wait 15 days for a toothbrush (never mind).

All your delivery packages must be ready within time because what will your delivery partners deliver if don’t get packages ready in time; meaning, quick, quality and efficiency.

Promote yourself- I’m assuming if you’re going to work as an entrepreneur, most likely you’re not Mukesh Ambani. In the beginning, you’ll not be able to advertise on big platforms like television, banners or Ad Sense so what are you going to do? I tell you when you start for a new thing, most often people get curious; this is the best opportunity, be shameless. Talk about your business wherever you get a chance if no chance then creates one. Remember your business card; give it to everyone (every single one who may be a possible customer). Make a page on Facebook and share it like crazy, promoting your business on Facebook isn’t that expensive either. Make a profile on every single B2B platform like India Mart or TrepUp, most of them are for free in initial stages.

Feedback- Always talk to your customers make them feel like a contributor instead of a consumer. Take their suggestions, evaluate them, check them and if possible implement in your business. Ask your customers what’s that they liked most and what’s that they didn’t. Ask them about their experience and if it’s good, request them to write a testimony; believe me, there is no advertisement bigger than mouth publicity.

In today’s world of social media, everything spreads like a wildfire.

Staff- You’re a new hotshot CEO (just because you’ve created the company) and want to hire staff for yourself: I suggest it a bad idea. In a startup, the cash crunch is a common thing. You don’t have a lot of money, nor the resources either so it’s up to your work as your staff. In many cases, it has been seen that the founder (CEO) himself is a cashier, relationship manager, Tele caller, customer care executive, office boy, delivery boy, etc. Don’t hire staff until it’s extremely necessary. You’ll find out later why it was the most beautiful part of your success story.

Be consistent- In the end consistently working is what matters most. There are definitely going to be obstacles or say lows in life and business. You’re not supposed to stop until you reach your aim. A startup is a one-way path, you can’t just come back. Your family, friends, annoying relatives, everyone is going to question your abilities. Being successful is what matters most, no matter what path you choose; unless it is illegal or immoral. You’ve saved money to buy a new mobile phone, put it in business; you’ll thousands of such smartphones later. Give your venture your best.

Don’t run behind any capitalist, they’re not going to help you out. It’s all up to you how you make best of the moment.

Family- For the first, never sacrifice your family for your job and second never tell them you’re going to start a venture on your own, they’ll never get agreed. No parents like their kids to get into a dangerous territory (just symbolizing). Before telling them, do proper groundwork. Stash up as much information as you can. When you tell them, tell about everything, specifically pros; they’ll agree eventually but still keep in mind don’t tell them before starting.

If you read all the points above, you’ll notice that these points are not just important for an e-commerce business but for almost all type of startups. Now that you’re ready to start your journey, what’re you doing here? Get, Set and Go!